1/2 way...

To my first weight loss goal, that is. I hit 15 lbs. this morning and feel great! With Thanksgiving and a very stressful November, it would have been easy to fall of the wagon but I stuck to it and am very proud of myself. When I get to 30 lbs., I'm going to get highlights. I'm ready for them now but they're so costly, I figured it'd give me something to work toward. I haven't had them done since before our wedding. My next mini-goal is to lose 4 lbs. before we go to Michigan on January 1st. I think it's totally attainable, even as holiday parties loom. Wish me luck!

A Low-Carb Lifestyle

Just about a week after Mark's birthday weekend in Vegas, we decided to give Atkins a try. Up to this point in my life, I had been very anti-Atkins because I felt that the people I know who have done it eat bacon all day and lose weight. This is not a healthy diet. But, we bought a book and, after reading through it, I began to understand the ideas behind the diet..scratch that, it's a lifestyle. Basically, the principles are simple and all sugary, processed food should be eliminated and replaced by healthy alternatives.

One thing that I discovered during this first two week period is just how much I had become addicted, literally, to sugar. The first couple days were the most difficult, especially when I had to have something sweet after my meals, but I soon got used to it. Last week, I also gave up caffeine. Instead of feeling tired, as I assumed I would, I had a distinctively increased energy level. When I got home from work everyday, I no longer desired my afternoon naps that I had become so accustomed to. It was incredible!

We went to Lindsay and Adam's last night and were planning to skip the wine/beer that normally goes along with a night with them; however, we decided to have a couple of drinks, nothing crazy, and see what happens. We both had lost when we weighed in this morning! I am definitely learning the value of balance.

We're starting Week 3 this week and should be moving into the "Ongoing Weight Loss" phase of Atkins but I think we're going to do one more week of "Induction."

Total weight loss so far: 10.5 lbs!!! It's amazing how results fuel the motivational fire.

Week in Review

After being a "new" WW member again this week, I'm supposed to weigh in tomorrow morning. I had a really rough time getting into a routine this week for several reasons. A run down of my week...

Saturday night was our annual Albanian party in which our family celebrates with other families from the same region of Montenegro their ability to defeat the Turks and remain Catholic. We had two lambs roasting on a spit all day long plus all kinds of other food and wine.

Sunday we went to a friend of Mark's place for a BBQ. I managed to do okay here but did have a couple of beers.

Monday was our big night on the town! I had way too much to eat and drink.

Tuesday I was super hungover so didn't eat too much but what I did it were my typical hangover remedies - french fries, ice cream, and an egg sandwich. I know, it sounds gross and weird but it really does seem to help me!

Wednesday I managed to actually count my points and log my food into my online journal.

Thursday I went wedding dress shopping with Lindsay and she took us out for appetizers and then for dinner as well. I tried to be good but it was so difficult, especially since we were celebrating.

Friday, today, I've done really well.

Part of me really, really wants to skip my meeting in the morning since I know I didn't have a successful week and it's just embarrassing for me at this point. But, Mark is being really supportive and insists that I go. My leader is super positive so I know she'll celebrate the fact that I came back more than make me feel bad for not following the plan this week.

Next week will be better. I go back to work which will help a ton since I'll be back into a routine.

(Sigh) Wish me luck. I definitely wish it were easier.

A Step in the Right Direction

After reading my last post, it probably doesn't seem like I'm doing anything to help myself shed some pounds. However, yesterday was a special occasion. In fact, I re-joined WW on Saturday morning. I've had a decent week but, of course, last night made it difficult. I have three full days until my next weigh-in though, wish me luck!

Wretched time of year

I know that I really shouldn't be complaining about having multiple weeks off every summer and I know that I'm truly, truly going to appreciate having summers off once we have babies. BUT, this time of year is always SO tough when it comes to weight loss, or even just weight control. I, of course, have put on a few pounds since summer school has let out. I know that some of it will naturally come off when school starts again, it always does. Mark has put on a few pounds this summer and we are now both to a point where we're ready to do something about it. He has been really encouraging me to go back to WW, since history shows that it works for me but I'm feeling really embarrassed to go back into the meetings heavier than ever. I know I'm probably not going to be the only repeat enrollee but I need to get past it and just do it. Chelle recently shared the best BMI and waist measurement that her doctor indicated are ideal for conception. My first goal will be to get my numbers below that level. From there, we shall see. Wish me luck!

Twiddling my Thumbs (Better settle in, it's a long one!)

After being publicly called out on Angela's blog and then noticing that I'm at the very bottom of Kristi's blog list, as in I'm the most delinquent blog out there, I figured I should do some catching up. I haven't blogged since May 17th and since then, trust me, twiddling my thumbs is something I just haven't had time for. In fact, since May 17th...

My Spring semester classes ended and I earned a 4.0 in both of them. Both classes really should be undergrad courses and seemed to be designed for people who have never taught in an actual classroom. I was so much more challenged, intellectually, in the fall and was a bit disappointed with the courses this semester. I discovered that earning my Master's is more about dedication, determination, and perseverance and that it really isn't about intelligence at all.

We went to Cambria/Paso Robles for the weekend with Katey and her boyfriend, Kenji. Kenji lives in San Francisco and Katey in Tampa. They fly cross-country regularly and, though Kenji is in the same state, I haven't seen Katey since our wedding. We made a plan to meet up halfway between Kenji's place and ours and, aren't we lucky, the halfway point also happens to be a great place to taste wine! Paso Robles is known for their Zinfandel, which is my favorite. Plus, the city of Cambria, where we rented a house for the weekend, and the city of Paso Robles, and most of the wineries within it, are very dog friendly. So, for this weekend excursion, we didn't have to leave the dog behind. He was even allowed inside one of the tasting rooms. The five of us had a great time driving through wine country, singing about "mini sirloin burgers," playing Cranium, and catching up. Well, to tell the truth, Katey and I never have to catch up, we simply continue on as if we'd seen each other yesterday. That's part of what makes our friendship, one that's been in existence since 1987, the best kind of friendship there is. We went to Adam and Lindsay's for a Memorial Day BBQ. They have a great place in Sherman Oaks, about 26 miles from us in Downey. Their apartment complex has a pool, a couple of hot tubs, tennis courts, basketball courts, and a great place near it all to have a cookout. We were able to meet one of Adam's best friends from home who also lives in SoCal. They always have great parties and, as always, we had a great time. Luckily, it wasn't a repeat of last year's 4th of July party. The one I missed. Because I was passed out. The whole day.
On May 28th, our school had our annual Premios de Oro awards ceremony. Translated, it means "Prize of Gold" for all of you gringas reading this. :) I was shocked and humbled to find out that I had been nominated by a colleague and chosen by the PTSA to win the PTSA honorary service award for my dedication to the school this past year. I got a plaque and everything! I tried my darnedst to find out who nominated me but either nobody knew or they were swore to secrecy. It really made me feel very special and appreciated.

We spent an afternoon/evening watching the Red Wings win one of the Stanley Cup playoff games with our friends Dave and Robin and their new daughter, Riley. Even she's a Red Wings fan! June brought with it a ton of exciting events for me and my class at school, all of which were planned by yours truly. We had two retirement parties for one of my paraeducators, an end of the year BBQ for the entire class, I had to plan a presentation for a colleague who also retired, our annual trip to Knott's Berry Farm and, of course, graduation. My co-teacher and I also get gifts for all of our paraeducators, our general education T.A.'s who work in our classroom, the general education teachers who work with our kids throughout the year, and the support staff at the school. The first two weeks of the month were spent running around like a chicken with my head cut off getting all of the loose ends tied up.
I also started my summer session class at CSULB the first week in June. It's a course on Program Evaluation and I'm taking it as an elective. Since I didn't get my credential in California, my undergrad program in Arizona didn't quite match up and I'm short 6 credits for my Master's degree. I had to take electives in the field of education or psychology and, with the limited number of classes offered in the summer, this one just happened to meet the criteria. It meets twice a week and is supposed to run from 5-8:45; however, our instructor has let us go at 7:45 every class session and not one of us has said a word. The first couple of times that she has said "we only have about five minutes left in class" at 7:40, everyone just kinda looked around thinking "nobody better say a word" and nobody has. A few of us were just joking around that maybe our instructor is thinking the same thing. Who knows. It's only a 6-week course and our last class is on Thursday. In fact, I should be working on my final paper and presentation right now...

I went to the doctor the first week of June for a physical and all looks good. Well, almost all. My doctor and I had a very frank discussion about my weight and, although I'm totally aware of my weight problem, I found myself near tears telling him how hard it is to have to have struggled with it all my life and blah, blah, blah. He told me that I could stand to lose, get this, 60 pounds!!! 60. I've known where my healthy weight range is and I was totally aware that it was 60 lbs away but to hear the doctor say it made me feel, quite honestly, pretty shitty. However, I know that it is all for the good of my health and the health of our future babies-to-be. My doctor also recommended an appetite suppressant, called phentermine, which I've been taking now for just over a month. He said it can be a good tool to support my changing habits. I have to go in monthly to weigh in and talk with him before getting another batch of pills. I haven't felt weird when taking it, except for when I take a pill and have a couple of drinks. I started with 1/2 a pill a day and am now taking a whole pill but 1/2 at a time. It's crazy what it does to my appetite. I'm just not hungry. And, when I first got them, I thought it wasn't necessarily going to work because my problem with weight loss hasn't been hunger. In fact, it's just the opposite, I eat even when I'm not hungry or past the point of feeling full. But, food just doesn't have the same appeal to me anymore and my relationship with food is starting to change at the very basic of levels. I'm starting to eat to live rather than live to eat. When I went in for my monthly check up and for my next bottle, I had lost 11 lbs. Works for me! My plan is to use this tool through the summer and be done come September.

After school let out, summer school started right away and, of course, I'm teaching it again this summer. Hopefully, if all goes according to plan, this will be my last summer teaching for several years, if not forever. My first week of summer school was a bit rocky as I was TOTALLY PMSing and, therefore, unnecessarily stressed out. There is another teacher working with me even though we only have a total of 26 students attending. With all of the budget cuts, I was certain that I'd have all of the students for summer school. I'm very grateful that I don't because, when we split the kids into two groups, I have a very manageable 13 students - a class size I haven't seen since I was working at the elementary school. It's a very nice reprieve from the usual 30+ in the classroom at the same time. This week my hormones were more under control and it was a lot of fun. Two weeks down, three more to go...

Mark's been busy lately too. He is on the opening management team for the newest BJ's Restaurant, which is located 1.3 miles from our house! He actually rode his bike to work last week. The restaurant is not even finished being built yet, although watching the progress is amazing. Mark and the other three managers have set up shop in an empty store next to the restaurant and have been interviewing prospective employees for eleven hours a day for the past two and half weeks! Before he started, I kept asking him what exactly four managers are going to do all day before the restaurant even opens. I had NO IDEA how crazy the hiring process was going to be. They have appointments for 100 interviews everyday plus they take walk-in applicants. People are waiting two or three hours just to get an interview. He said it's so hard to turn those people away but he has had to it quite frequently. When it all started, they needed to hire 260 employees and expected to get a few thousand applicants. It's such an insane process, he comes home exhausted every night. One positive thing is, though, that he works from 8 am until about 7:30 every day so we have our evenings off together and he's been off on Sundays and that will continue for a few more weeks. We were joking around that we're like Ozzy and Harriet now with the same schedule eveyday. That's something we have never had.

Mark also quit smoking! (Insert maniacal cheers and applause here) He's been cigarette free for three weeks now and doing a really, really amazing job. He's using nicotine patches to help him out but quitting is not easy and I commend him for giving it a go. I've been reading research to him about how much his body has healed already and all of the positive things that will come from his knocking out his addiction. I really am proud of him.

So, here I am, on 4th of July, sitting at my computer. Mark's working this morning/afternoon so we don't have any major plans. Plus, our baby is terrified of fireworks and has been freaking out every night for the past week and a half since people have been lighting them off. We've given him 1/2 a Dramamine the past couple of nights, something that a friend of mine's vet recommended for her Rottweiler, and that has seemed to help. For those of you who know King, he is probably the most relaxed and mellow dog out there. But, man does he HATE fireworks. Lucky for him, it'll all be over soon. We may go to our friend Dave's place, if he doesn't mind if we bring the dog, or we may go hang out with Mark's friend Mark who is staying at an awesome place for the weekend in Newport Beach. Or, we may just stay in and relax with the dog. Our little family of three.

Feels Good to Sweat

I just got back from the gym, a place I hadn't seen since Easter. I ran 3.61 miles in 35 minutes and burned 360 calories. And, boy did I sweat! I mean, I'm a fairly sweaty person just on a normal day-to-day basis. Add in 80 degree heat and, at the fastest, a 8.2 mph pace and my sweat glands just go into overdrive. It's pretty gross but feels so good at the same time. I'm pretty proud of myself for getting off of my duff and getting physical. Now I'm off to the shower and then hitting the books.

Getting Moving

Monday morning I rolled out of bed at 5:00, awoke a very sleepy and confused Kingy, and the two of us jogged/walked 1.7 miles. Monday during my break at school, I walked another 3/4 of a mile. Yesterday, we did it again. By this morning, I was quite sore, so we took a break. We'll be back out there again tomorrow morning though. I must say that it has given me a definite extra boost of energy and King loves it too! While I hate getting out of bed in the morning, it's nice to be out before the world has awakened. It's quiet and calm. Wish me luck in developing this new routine!

Back in the Swing of Things

Classes at CSULB started again last night. On Monday afternoons I'm taking a class on collaboration and communication, which is co-taught by a professor with a PhD in Special Education and an instructor who has a daughter with a disability. It seems like it'll be interesting to learn about the perspective of a parent while having my own perceptions of issues in special ed. On Tuesday afternoons I'm taking a class on assistive technology. The professor of this course doesn't seem as organized and clear as those that I have on Monday so we'll see how the semester will pan out. Both classes seem to be a bit less labor-intensive than the courses I took last semester (in each of which I earned an A, by the way) so I'm excited about that.

This week is finals week at school so we have half days all week and no school on Friday, which works out perfect since we'll be in Michigan by then! I think it's fairly common knowledge that money is tight in our state right now so it's be interesting, to say the least, to see what happens in the coming months when we are all planning for next year. Luckily for me, I got a letter last week announcing that I've earned my tenure! So, as far as I know right now, my job is safe from here on out. I'll be going to a board meeting next Tuesday to be recognized for this achievement. I'm not sure if there's been a better year since I've been teaching to become a permanent employee of a district.

While I was definitely on a roll as far as weight loss goes a week and a half ago, I've fallen off the wagon yet again. Mark's sister was in town last week so we went out to dinner and drinks a couple of times and I've just had a really hard time refocusing. Since we're going to Michigan this weekend and I know that we're going to be eating things like Jet's Pizza and RedCoat Tavern burgers, I'm planning on being really good until we leave and then switching to the WW Core Plan once we return to kick my booty back into action. I also purchased a Crunchless Abs DVD and, although it was way more difficult for me than I had anticipated, I felt it in my abs for days! I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

Things to Do: 2009

Ringing in the new year allows each of us to start fresh and to think about things that we may want to improve upon or change before the ball drops again. We have several goals for this year...

Family - As many of you are already aware, my plan is to graduate in May of 2010 with my Master of Science in Special Education. In a perfect world, I will waddle across the stage at graduation and we will start our own family before, or just after, I turn the big 3-0. Now, you will probably never hear the words "we're trying" come out of my mouth because, well, that's just way too much information to share; but, our plan is to be pregnant by the end of the year!

Health & Fitness - With our ultimate goal in mind, I am determined to slim down and to develop healthier eating and fitness habits this year. My ideal weight loss is 40 lbs. but, more importantly than the lbs., I really want to become more active and to eat less processed foods. I feel that a lot of my bad eating habits started when I was young and I really want to instill good habits in our children, especially since they will be genetically pre-determined to not be small. In order to do this, Mark and I need to develop healthy habits as well. I will continue to attend WW meetings and will commit to get physical (cue Olivia Newton-John) at least twice a week to start.

Money - I will be setting up my 403(b) this year again. It had discontinued when I changed school districts and I haven't set it up again. I will also be setting up a "Summer Saver" account through my credit union. I only get ten paychecks a year and this type of account will deduct a certain percentage of my monthly checks and put it into a high yield savings account. The money that I stash away each month will be accessible to us without a penalty, which is a definite bonus.

Weekly Weigh In

I started my WW week by missing my meeting. :( I then had a cold, two finals, and five Christmas parties! Needless to say, this week was ridiculous as far as weight loss goes. I went to my meeting this morning to find an additional 2 lbs on the scale. Although it is a step in the wrong direction, and my goal was to maintain, 2 lbs really isn't that much considering all of the splurging I'd done. We even went out to dinner last night and I know my enchilada and margaritas were still in my belly when I weighed in this morning.

This week, I'll be off from work and that, obviously, throws my routine off a bit. I'm also planning on baking a plethora of cookies to (mostly) give away to the managers and staff at BJ's. My goal is to be sure to drink plenty of water everyday and, again, to maintain this week's weight at next week's meeting. I'd also like to incorporate just a tad bit of exercise. If you haven't noticed, when I talk about weight loss, I am always focused on the eating but NEVER focus on the exercise. WW started a new program, called Momentum, and I got all new materials this morning. In my weigh in book, I restarted at week 1. I think that will help me to feel more motivated to get on the ball again since the slate has, in essence, been wiped clean.

Weekly Weigh In

I had every intention of attending my weekly meeting on Saturday morning, even as I finally passed out after 2 on Friday night. Unfortunately, an alarm clock doesn't sound when it is not set and I didn't wake up until after 10. Needless to say, I missed my 9 a.m. meeting. I have weighed myself at home though and, to my dismay, I maintained my weight from last weekend. I suppose I should be grateful. Afterall, I didn't gain anything and my prior week's weight loss was substantial; but, I was really hoping to break through this plateau and move the second number in my weight down one.

This week is going to be a challenge. As I type, I am getting ready for a cookie exchange party at my co-teacher's house. (I made Eggnog Snickerdoodles and they are so yummy!) Plus, Tuesday afternoon, I'm hosting a department potluck in my classroom; Thursday afternoon is an all-staff mixer at a BBQ joint near the school; and we have plans with friends to go out for dinner on Friday evening. Maintenance this week will be key. I'm planning on switching back to the Flex plan this week and count my points diligently. Wish me luck!

Weekly Weigh In

I was very excited to weigh in today since I had tried a new version of WW this past week. When I stepped on the scale, I had lost (drumroll please)...5.4 lbs!!! Wow, what a week! And I feel like I didn't have to really try too hard to do it. I had a slice of pizza one night and a couple caesar salads with regular dressing throughout the week. I definitely enjoyed the core plan and am excited to try it again this week!

My total weight loss, however, is only 4.6 lbs as I had lost and gained so much that I was heavier last week than I was when I started. But, I'm back on track and ready to commit to the program.

A New Plan of Action

I was brave and attended my WW meeting on Saturday, a mere 40 hours after our Thanksgiving feast. While I'm not proud of the results I saw on the scale, I have decided to change up my plan this week. I'm going to try the "core" plan as opposed to the points-counting "flex" plan. Wish me luck. With this plan, I can eat as much as I want until I'm satisfied but I can only eat foods from a designated list. The list seems similar to the Zone diet as it comprises of foods from all of the food groups but it is limited with regard to the ever-villainous carbs. I went shopping this morning and feel good about it so far. I do think I'll go back to the points system after this week but hopefully I'll see some results and I'll be able to kick myself back into action.

Weekly Weigh In

I lost a pound last week! I feel pretty good about it because I had made Mark a carrot cake from scratch that was absolutely delicious but also that lingered at the house for a few days until we managed to eat the entire thing. Plus, I've really been feeling in a slump lately and I'm just pleased to be moving in the right direction.

Weekly Weigh-In

I'm down 1.8 pounds this week! I did (almost) everything that I didn't do last week. I logged everything I ate, EVERYTHING. I drank lots and lots of water (In my opinion, the only "miracle weight loss" serum in the world). I went to my meeting. Again, my new leader is great and I am looking forward to continuing my weight loss journey with her guiding me along the way.

OK, Fine!

After my Aunt Robin responded to my post about my weekly weigh in, I felt supported, motivated, and a little bit guilty. So, I dragged myself out of bed early this morning and went to a meeting. Of the 2.2 lbs that I lost last week, I gained back 2. Not a good week, but I knew it hadn't been. Sometimes, though, the leader seems to be speaking right to me and the topic of the week seems to be written just for my circumstance. Of course, I know that's not the case but the topic of this week was about learning from past mistakes in order to be successful now and in the future. The leader ended with the thought that it's ok not to be perfect and it's ok to have bad weeks. It's even ok to gain once in awhile if you are learning from your mistakes. She said that it's our nature to come to meetings when we know we've done well but the moment that we feel that we've "been bad" is when we skip a meeting or two. She said that that's when we need to be there the most. I seriously had tears in my eyes, she really hit a chord. Needless to say, I'm so happy that I went to the meeting this morning. I've decided to make Saturday morning my regular meeting from now on - she was just so great! Thanks Aunt Robin!

Weekly Weigh In

Things I did wrong this week:

1) I did not write down one single thing that I ate.
2) I had more than a couple "splurge" meals.
3) I didn't follow my routine. I didn't eat much all day only to return home starving and overdoing it.
4) I skipped my meeting...

Well, I'm thinking that I am going to switch to Monday evenings. If I do decide to do that, then I will go to a meeting this coming Monday. If I decide not to, I'll return to a meeting next Thursday.

At least I can identify where I went wrong so that I can start fresh again tomorrow.

Weekly Weigh-In

Down another 2.2 lbs this week for a total of 5.4!!! I figure it balances out with last week. I spent much of the past 7 days not feeling well at all which prompted me to not watch what I was eating as closely. I kept count in my head but didn't do any journaling, which usually spells disaster for me.

After my meeting, I usually give myself a little "splurge" meal. Nothing too crazy but something that I wouldn't eat during the week. Tonight, my splurge was an enormous salad with ranch. Could be worse, I suppose! :)

Weekly Weigh-In

I'm down another 0.6 lbs. I'm not entirely pleased with this number though because I feel like I did really well in keeping my points totals low for the week (even below my alotted number) but I didn't feel like I had lost anything when I walked through the door. At least it's a small step in the right direction.

I do think that I'm going to change my meeting night. I like the idea of going on Thursday night because, if I mess up over the weekend, I have more time to recuperate. But, I'm just not gelling with the meeting leader on Thursday night. I think it's back to Mondays for me.